As of November 2026, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest. It is in Dubai. It has more than 160 floors.

The Burj Khalifa has more than 50 elevators. Some are double-decker cars. They move at up to 10 meters per second.

Long ago, people built tall towers of heavy stone. They had thick, sturdy walls and few windows.

Gothic cathedrals joined the race for height. Long stone arms held up the heavy walls. So the walls could have big colored glass windows.

Chicago has the Home Insurance Building. It is often called the first skyscraper. It was finished in 1885. It had 10 floors.

A steel skeleton holds up a skyscraper. The outside walls are only a skin. The skin keeps out the weather.

The Empire State Building is in New York City. It went up very fast. Workers finished it in just over a year.

It is built from steel, limestone, granite and brick. It has 102 floors.

The Eiffel Tower is in Paris, France. It is made of iron. It is a lattice. Wind can blow right through it.

The Great Pyramid is a huge stone tomb in Egypt. It was built more than 4,500 years ago.

Words to know

• skyscraper: very tall building
• lattice: open iron frame
• elevators: lifts
• cathedrals: big churches